The European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM) recently revamped the way it assesses organisations, with Queens Cross first in Scotland to reach its new exacting standards by achieving ‘Qualified by EFQM’ status.

EFQM status enables organisations to demonstrate how well they are performing against globally recognised definitions of excellence. The EFQM assessment process is independent and objective and helps organisations to continuously achieve better performance.

Queens Cross’s 200 staff manage more than 4300 homes in northwest Glasgow.

Assessors found Queens Cross to be performing extremely well across many areas of the business, particularly around areas of trust, openness and transparency in its dealings with tenants.

They found the team very motivated by the impact they make within the local community and praised them on the clarity of direction the association was heading in and its vision for the area.

Shona Stephen, chief executive, Queens Cross Housing Association, said: “We’re delighted to have achieved Qualified by EFQM, particularly in current circumstances. Like all businesses, there’s no doubt we’ve been challenged over past months. But through the EFQM process, and the analysis we’ve been through, we’ve been able to demonstrate to ourselves and others that we are able to manage rapid change while maintaining very high standards of service. That means a lot.”

The report did find some areas that could be improved, such as moving beyond regulatory measurements and having stronger sustainability objectives.

EFQM supports organisations from around the world to apply the EFQM Model and has locally based team members in Scotland.

Janet Robertson, director in Scotland, EFQM, added: “EFQM is delighted to celebrate Queens Cross Housing Association as the first organisation to achieve Qualified by EFQM. QCHA performed exceptionally well in the assessment and the assessment team was impressed with the level of activity across all areas of the EFQM Model. This is an outstanding result, especially during the difficult circumstances being experienced during the Covid pandemic. We are proud to be working with QCHA as members of EFQM and to highlight your success and commitment to continuous improvement.”